Emerald Ash Borer Invasion of North America: History, Biology, Ecology, Impacts, and Management

Abstract

Since its accidental introduction from Asia, emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), has killed millions of ash trees in North America. As it continues to spread, it could functionally extirpate ash with devastating economic and ecological impacts. Little was known about EAB when it was first discovered in North America in 2002, but substantial advances in understanding of EAB biology, ecology, and management have occurred since. Ash species indigenous to China are generally resistant to EAB and may eventually provide resistance genes for introgression into North American species. EAB is characterized by stratified dispersal resulting from natural and human-assisted spread, and substantial effort has been devoted to the development of survey methods. Early eradication efforts were abandoned largely because of the difficulty of detecting and delineating infestations. Current management is focused on biological control, insecticide protection of high-value trees, and integrated efforts to slow ash mortality.

Species‐specific transpiration responses to intermediate disturbance in a northern hardwood forest

“…Nonstand replacing disturbances, often called intermediate disturbances, occur naturally via species-specific pest infestation [e.g., Herms and McCullough, 2014;Simard et al, 2012], strong storms and wind throws [e.g., Uriarte et al, 2012], drought [e.g., Huang and Anderegg, 2012;McDowell et al, 2008;Royer et al, 2010], and ecological succession [e.g., Gough et al, 2013;Hardiman et al, 2013] and anthropogenically via fire management and biomass removals [e.g., Royer et al, 2010;Stephens et al, 2009] and selective logging [e.g., Asase et al, 2014;Asner et al, 2004]. These disturbances impact canopy structure at a diffuse spatial scale ranging from one to several tree crowns per hectare, and may be distributed over MATHENY ET AL.…”

Global Biothreat and Cross-Border Resource Management: Some Findings

“…Alien aquatic species are expected to contribute to the extinction of native freshwater species in North America at a rate of 4% a decade in the 21st century [7][8][9][10]. The most recent example includes the accidental introduction of emerald ash borer from Asia to North America that has killed millions of ash trees there and, as it continues to spread, could extirpate the trees with devastating economic and ecological impacts [11].…”

Responses of Ground-Dwelling Invertebrates to Gap Formation and Accumulation of Woody Debris from Invasive Species, Wind, and Salvage Logging

“…in eastern North America since its accidental introduction from southeast Asia [85]. Ash tree mortality causes widespread, nearly simultaneous formation of canopy gaps in forests [86,87], owing to the low resistance of North American ash species to EAB [88].…”